Chelmsford-based Global Marine Systems rolled out the red carpet at its Portland cable and sub-sea depot when the Duke of Edinburgh visited as part of celebrations to mark the 150the anniversary of the Dorset port.

Global Marine Systems' Chelmsford-based chief executive, Dave Foot, escorted the Duke on a tour of what is one of the world's most modern and sophisticated cable depots.

The facility houses approximately 3,000 kilometres of cable -- half the distance across the Atlantic -- which the company uses to support some 36 underwater cable telecommunications systems in the North Sea and the Atlantic.

The event was the first since Global Marine Systems, the world's largest and most experienced submarine cable maintenance and installation company, was acquired by Global Crossing.

This Bermuda-based owner is the operator of the world's most advanced global IP-based fibre optic network, from Cable & Wireless plc.

The Duke of Edinburgh chats with Dave Foot, chief executive of Chelmsford based Global Marine Systems, during his visit to the company's cable and subsea depot at Portland in Dorset. The cable vessel CS Sovereign is in the background.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.